Studies on high-affinity [3H]substance P binding sites in bovine pineal gland

The presence of substance P in numerous mammalian pineal glands prompted us to search for its binding sites in the bovine pineal gland. The binding assays to pineal membrane were carried out in polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes in a final volume of 500 microliters of 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.4) containing aliquots of 200-500 micrograms protein, 0.02% BSA, 6 micrograms/ml chymostatin, 4 micrograms/ml leupeptin, 40 micrograms/ml bacitracin, 5 mM MnCl2, and 50 microliters of [3H]substance P (3H-SP, 45.7 Ci/mmol to yield a final concentration of 0.02-20 nM) to start the reactions, which were incubated for 20 min at 20 degrees C. The reactions were terminated by centrifugation in a Fisher Microcentrifuge Model 235A for 30 seconds at 13,000 X g, and the pellets were washed twice with 1 ml of ice-cold 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer containing 0.02% BSA, 6 micrograms/ml chymostatin, 4 micrograms/ml leupeptin, 40 micrograms/ml bacitracin, 5 mM MnCl2, 120 mM NaCl, 5 mM KCl, 1 mM MgCl2, and 1 mM CaCl2. The bottoms of the tubes were cut, the membrane pellets were dissolved in 5 ml of Triton X-100/toluene fluor (1:3) scintillation fluid, and the radioactivity was counted. The specific [3H]-substance P binding at 1-2 nM was 40-50% of the total binding, and the non-specific binding was assessed by using 2 microM of unlabelled substance P. These studies identified in bovine pineal gland a high affinity receptor site for [3H]SP with a KD value of 0.43 nM and a Bmax value of 71.14 fmol/mg protein. The relative affinity of various substance P analogues or fragments was: substance P greater than physalaemin greater than SP2-11 greater than SP3-11 greater than SP4-11 greater than SP6-11 greater than substance K = eledoisin greater than kassinin greater than SP7-11 greater than SP free acid. Substance P did not alter the basal or the norepinephrine-induced stimulation of the activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase in rat pineal gland in culture.